Matter Matters: the future of design

The Barcelona Design Museum is hosting the exhibition Matter Matters. Designing with the world, curated by architect and researcher Olga Subirós . It is a profound reflection on our relationship with matter in a context of climate crisis and resource scarcity, with the aim of rethinking the material foundations of contemporary design. With this aim, the exhibition delves into the link between design and matter, taking into account the historical influences of colonialism, extractivism and consumer society. In this sense, it invites us to question how design has contributed to the consolidation of a model based on the exploitation of resources and, consequently, to the aggravation of the climate emergency. At the same time, it highlights its transformative potential, showing innovative practices that explore sustainable materials and alternative production processes.

With more than 700 pieces spanning from the 12th century to the present, the exhibition combines objects from the museum's collection with contemporary works by almost 100 invited creators. This dialogue between past and present aims to highlight the roots of material production, while defending design as a tool for regeneration and sustainability. The exhibition is structured around eight thematic areas: petrochemical, plant, animal, microbiological, mineral, digital, intangible and affective matter. Through more than sixty micro-narratives, the objects are presented as discursive agents that question dominant material paradigms.

Sabates de dona, segle XVI. Museu DHUB

One of the featured installations is Calculating Empires, by Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler , which investigates the interconnection between geopolitical computation and resource extraction in the global expansion of artificial intelligence. Other notable works include Slow Violence, by Studio Lemercier , which documents resistance to extractivist devastation at the Hambach mine in Germany, and Strata Incognita, by Grandeza Studio , which also features an audiovisual piece that reveals the living complexity of soil ecosystems.

Olga Subirós highlights that the exhibition seeks to "show the city as another consequence of contemporary design". For this reason, the windows on the second floor of the Design Hub have been opened, offering views of Plaça de les Glòries and the Mercat dels Encants, thus integrating the urban environment into the exhibition discourse. In addition, Matter Matters is part of the Barcelona 2026 World Capital of Architecture, an event that reinforces the city's role as an international reference in the debate on architecture, design and society. For the first time, the museum's Collection incorporates pieces of architecture, expanding the heritage story and opening up new perspectives for its interpretation.

With this initiative, the Design Hub reaffirms its desire to offer a transversal, inclusive and integrative vision of its collection, bringing it closer to the public and fostering a critical awareness of the material and environmental challenges of our time.

Space Oddity, Antoni Arola i Jordi Tamayo (2024)